Site Products
Larry Hodges

Coaching Tip of the Week: Looping a Push is Not Going for a Shot

By Larry Hodges

 When you push (backspin vs. backspin), you don’t think of yourself as “going for a shot.” It’s just an easy shot that you can normally do over and Over and OVER, with few mistakes. But when you learn to loop (topspin vs. backspin, forehand or backhand), at first it’s a tricky and erratic shot. Why is this? If you loop relatively slow, the shot isn’t that much faster than a push. Just as with a push, you are brushing the ball to create spin. There are few reasons why it should be any less consistent than a push. And yet, players often loop with the mentality that they are “going for a shot,” and so it’s acceptable to miss a lot of them.

Yes, there are certain aspects that make looping trickier than pushing, and I could write extensively about the differences. But that would be counter-productive – the point here is that many players, at least subconsciously, way over-estimate the difficulty of looping consistently against a push (or any other ball for that matter), and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy. Instead, why not tell yourself how easy it is, that it’s no harder than pushing? When you drop the “going for a shot” mentality and instead think of it as just another shot you can do over and Over and OVER, your consistently will go up quite a bit. The reality is that unless you are going for a huge loop kill, or have completely misread the spin, or are out of position, looping a push should be EASY and nearly 100% consistent. Think of it that way, and while you might not get to 100% consistency, we’ll settle for 90% and a huge increase in your level of play.

Stay “In The Loop” with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment, table tennis news, table tennis technology, tournament results, and We Are Butterfly players, coaches, clubs and more.

Latest News

Jessie Xu Named 2025 Table Tennis Canada Athlete of the Year

May 20, 2025
(by Bowmar Sports) Recognizing Leadership, Excellence, and Sportsmanship On and Off the Table Bowmar is proud to celebrate the… Read More

World Championships Update: Jarvis Powers Through to Round of 32

May 20, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins) A few surprises in the early rounds of the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals… Read More

Apply Finger Pressure With Your Thumb!

May 19, 2025
Backhand block (regular block and no spin block) – robot plays very spinny shots deep SET TO RING… Read More

Bowmar Sports Tournament Highlights – Kef Noorani Tournament Highlights

May 19, 2025
(by: Bowmar Sports) Bowmar Sports Tournament Highlights, Kef Noorani https://youtu.be/68Or5s_S2yg Stay “In The Loop” with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment,… Read More

Learn from Students of the Game, Crafty Veterans, and Hedgehogs

May 19, 2025
(By Larry Hodges) You should always be learning in table tennis, or in any serious activity. I’m always… Read More

WAB CLUB FEATURE: Atlanta International Table Tennis Academy

May 18, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins) With their location just North of Atlanta in Suwanee, Atlanta International Table Tennis Academy has… Read More

MLTT Team Feature: East Division Expansion Team the Atlanta Blazers

May 18, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins) Major League Table Tennis (MLTT) continues to grow, and the Atlanta Blazers are one of… Read More

Early Action Underway in Doha

May 18, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins) Lin Shidong and Wang Chuqin had 4-0 wins as all of the top seeds advanced… Read More
View All News

Get the latest from Butterfly

Stay “In The Loop” with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment, table tennis news, table tennis technology, tournament results, and We Are Butterfly players, coaches, clubs and more.